Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny’s halftime show fuelled buzz (garnering 66% of total online and media engagement around the Super Bowl, versus 1% for commercials and brand activations – Meltwater, 2026), a boon for brands that harnessed the hoopla surrounding this top-streamed artist.

Extending ultra-safe, straightforward formulas that scored big last year, American beer and crisp brands Budweiser and Lay’s bet on unabashed Americana and earnest sentimentality – winning over audiences again, according to rankings.

With Bad Bunny’s show broadcasting that “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” two popular ads similarly countered the spike in hate crimes and inflammatory rhetoric with themes of harmony and humanity. Adding a resonant nostalgic cue, both used songs from the classic American children’s show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (1970s-1990s) – whose host Fred Rogers epitomised decency – and featured multiracial casts.

While Super Bowl advertisers regularly lean on nostalgic intellectual property (IP) – an easy attention-getter across sociopolitical divides – this edition saw brands feeding on ‘millennial ache’ (the generation’s yearning for their youthful days). Two comedic ads mined much-loved 90s IP, de-ageing actors from these classics for added (slightly uncanny) nostalgic oomph.

Ads for telehealth service Hims & Hers and Christian non-profit Come Near (both US-based) stood out with cultural critiques, tackling popular resentment of wealthy lifestyles and disaffection with America’s consumerist culture. Both employ frenetic, highly stylised visual montages to emphasise a sense of overwhelm.

While artificial intelligence tools comprised as much as 23% of Super Bowl ads, few broke through with notable creative. Brands are harnessing parody and hyping scientific progress to temper consumer fears – which remain significant. “Americans are much more concerned than excited about the increased use of AI in daily life,” according to a 2025 Pew study.

Activations from American retailers Levi’s, eBay, Abercrombie & Fitch and Thom Browne referenced deep local roots, sports collectibles culture (currently booming), and the growing integration of sports and fashion.